[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 154 (Friday, September 26, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S9717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON:
  S. 3635. A bill to authorize a loan forgiveness program for students 
of institutions of higher education who volunteer to serve as mentors; 
to the Committee on health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss an issue that is 
very near and dear to my heart: the importance of mentoring. A good 
mentor can make all the difference in the world, serving as friend, 
role-model and advocate for children who need it most. We should be 
rewarding those young people who commit to public service, including 
mentoring at-risk children, and offering incentives to encourage wider 
participation.
  I am proud to introduce the Supporting Mentors, Supporting Our Youth 
Act, which would forgive $10 of student loans for every hour of 
mentoring with a minimum commitment of one year of service. I'm pleased 
that my friend and colleague, Congressman Jim Crowley, is introducing 
this legislation in the House of Representatives.
  I have long been an advocate for mentoring and for supporting 
mentoring programs like the ones you run across the country. Last year, 
I joined my colleague Senator Kerry in introducing the Mentoring 
America's Children Act, which built upon the Mentoring Program in No 
Child Left Behind. This legislation will help reach the 15 million 
young adults who could use mentor--esspecially young people in foster 
care and other young adults who could benefit the most from a role 
model, advisor, and advocate. I've long been a champion for mentoring 
and for supporting mentoring programs like the ones you run across the 
country.
  Public service is the lifeblood of our communities and mentoring at-
risk children is particularly important. Tomorrow, September 27th, is 
the National Day of Action and I could not think of a better way of 
supporting the thousands of communities who will mobilize across the 
country then by introducing this legislation to encourage more people 
to serve.
  Earlier this month, I joined Senators Kennedy and Hatch in 
introducing the Serve America Act. The legislation would build a new 
service corps focused on addressing areas of national need such as 
education, energy and the environment. The bill would increase 
opportunities to participate in service for Americans of all ages by 
encourage students to make service a part of their lives, establishing 
tax incentives for employers who allow employees paid leave for 
service, and structuring service opportunities for seniors and 
retirees.
  I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the Senate 
and the House to stand up for our most vulnerable children, while 
making college more accessible and more affordable.
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